Fear of Bitter Loneliness
by Parth Makeo
Summary: Nahumar, the Youkai of Fear begins hanging around Reimu Hakurei and over the time they spent, they become more than just Human and Beast...but is it even possible? One is important to protecting the balance while the other is important to maintaining the Fear. (Nahumar/Sorina/Hanalli were made in 2011 before Hopeless Masquerade's Hata no Kokoro.)
1. Prologue

Prologue

In an age before Gensokyo, far to the east in a desert filled land, a race of people thrived on the land and ruled by the pharaoh. The gods of this land were ever present with the people. One such deity was the young essence of Joy, Hanalli. Born under the goddess Hathor, Hanalli was tasked with managing the very joy of the humans and understanding what makes one happy.

As time went on, Hanalli grew bored with her job. Noticing how the human females all were happy with smaller versions of themselves, Hanalli hatched a plan. Taking six strands of her hair, she infused each one with the collection of the negative emotions and gave them names.

Jera of Envy, The Green Eyes of Jealousy.

Dimi of Despair, The Grey Cloud of Lost Hope.

Sorina of Sorrow, The Blue Tears of Pain.

Victian of Violence, The Orange Passion of Murder

Anera of Anger, The Red Fire of Rage

And Nahumar of Fright, The Amalgamation of Fear.

With the six emotions made, Hanalli set out to teach them all about humans and with their birth they would have idols modeled after their respective emotion. However, Nahumar's story is the most interesting out of the rest...

Nahumar was tasked with being the lesser Deity of a nearby village. Home to many farm workers who dream of pure bliss under the guise of this creature. No one know what he looked like but for an all powerful being, he was quite content with humans. Every three weeks, a small group of humans offer Nahumar a gift from their fields. Ranging from simple flat bread to the occasional Falafel. Yet out of all the Humans, one of which was considered his only human friend. A young farmhand female named Mio.

Mio was a girl who knew what Nahumar truly looked like, but kept his secret to be kind in return. The two always talked to one another about everything. Nahumar would listen well and reply to her. She did not fear the beast but rather treasured him. One day, she came to meet Nahumar and presented the offering on schedule alone. She was considered the unofficial keeper of Nahumar. She walked into the dark construction housed around the stone idol. She lit the torch which brushed over the other four to expose the writing of symbols to talk about Nahumar. In the middle of it all sat an idol slab with the drawing of a circle with an evil looking eye in the center.

"Nahumar! I came with your offering today!" Mio called out. Under her arm was a basket containing the offering. Nahumar's idol slowly glowed with a dark purple hue. The eye pulsed as he spoke in a warm but intimidating voice "Ah Mio. I am so glad to see you- Hm? The offering does not feel like the same as before..." and that is when Mio pulled out some square looking objects with almonds on the top. She smiled and announced "Ta-da! It's Basbousa! I always hear you wanted to enjoy something sweet, so I convinced the people to let me offer this to you.". Soon, a few black tendrils emerged from the ground. Two of which acted as hands, taking one of each square before being swallowed by the tendon. The sound of enjoyment echoed in the small building before a chuckle emerged. "Oh ho! it is sweet but not the sweet I was dreaming of. Never the less I shall accept this offering with much praise." Nahumar announced as one of his tendrils patted Mio's black hair. She lit up "So...you like it? I'm so glad! My mother taught me how to make it especially for you.". Nahumar retreated his hands as he felt the joy radiating from her and told her "I am honored to of tasted your food made by your own hands.".

The door closed behind them to not let prying eyes on the two as Nahumar slowly emerged from the ground. His true image was an orb of black mass no bigger than a baseball with a single eye. He looked up at Mio and hopped into her hands with glee, saying her name with a now higher and cute tone "Mio! You have to tell me more about these sweets. So far none of them touch the pallet of what I crave.". Mio sat on the ground and thought "Let's see...well there is this one type of bean called Cocoa but I only ever heard of it. I have not seen it for myself." Nahumar hopped in her hands like a child and asked her "That sounds like something I want to try! Do you think it will taste the same as the fear of man?". Mio shrugged "Possibly, but one day I can show you it. I heard our people opened a trade route with another tribe who has some on hand, but they are expensive to trade for..." and yet Nahumar didn't care "It's not a problem! As long as I see the item, I will remember what it looks like."

So that day, the two made a promise to find some Cocoa beans and hopefully find the craving Nahumar has longed for...

Yet months later...

The village was under attack by an army from the east. Clad in armor and wield weapons unseen by the inhabitants, they slaughtered the innocent and any who moved. No woman or child left alive. Mio hid in the only place she knew she could be safe, Nahumar's Shrine. She was cowering in fright, crying for the loss of her parents as she pleaded to Nahumar to fight. Yet today was a day that Nahumar was resting. She kept trying, whispering his name until the stone door was broken down. Three men emerged inside the dark shrine. One barked an order "Look everywhere to see if there is treasure to be had! These people always hide their most valued treasure in dark locations." as two soldiers looked around. One found Mio as he pulled her out by her long hair. She screamed in terror. "Sir! I found a survivor!" the man called out. "Let me go! Nahumar, save me!" Mio yelled in fear of her life. The leader looked at the girl and asked her "Where are the valuables in here?". Mio replied "There are none! We are just a farming village! You murdered my family and friends!". The man did not seem to move at all, raising a blade to Mio's neck. She cried as tears streamed down her face. The man asked again "Where are the valuables! Your kind always hide your treasure somewhere..." yet she was shaking and unable to answer him.

By this time, Nahumar was starting to wake up yet had no idea what was going on. He vaguely heard Mio's cries for him. The man was tired of these games. He took the girl by the hair to raise her up to his eye level and told her "Well I guess your life means more than gold and valuables..." thrusting his sword through her chest before tossing her now limp body to the side. Nahumar would finally see and hear in full, but what he saw made him feel shocked. The blood...The blade...the men...and the lifeless Mio. While the men looked for the valuable artifacts, Nahumar hopped out from the ground and rolled to Mio. He didn't want it to be so... He poked Mio's lifeless corpse "Wake up...Please, wake up Mio. D-don't die on me...You...You promised to show me what a Cocao bean was..." Nahumar spoke with a broken and shaken voice. He kept jostling her body in a vain and unaccepted way. She never responded.

The captain of the men noticed Nahumar and asked "What is that thing? Some kind of insect?" now seeing it had one eye. Nahumar looked up and saw the men who looked at him. Seeing his true visage. Another man said "Whatever it is, it's not a threat.". A stab to Nahumar. The captain shrugged and added "Fine. Leave the bug alone men." but as they turned to walk, Nahumar shouted back "How could you kill these innocent people?! They were doing nothing wrong! I swear you will all die here!". The guard turned around and looked perplexed "And what can you do about it? You are nothing but a small black orb.". Nahumar had enough. The area was covered in a black veil. The men that were there stood still as they saw in the sky a black eye with ringed layers of purple and black looking down upon them. The voice of Nahumar grew loud and boisterous "Shedding the blood of innocent shall be met with greater payment! Your lives end here!". From the ground, many tendrils wrapped around the limbs and body parts of the invading forces. Their arms pulled off and shredded. Their bodies snapping in half. Their screams echoed and their wails of agony resonated. Each one killed slowly and with much pain. None were left alive...

After a near five minutes of evisceration and ripping, the area returned to normal. The invading men vanished and so did their blood. Yet the dead innocents were left untouched. Nahumar rolled over to Mio's body and dug under one arm to rest. Exhausted from the energy he used as he started to cry. The heat he once felt with Mio was all but gone.

"Mio...D-don't be afraid. I'm here...Nahumar is here...Please Mio...Don't leave me...Mio..."

Nahumar since then has taken it upon himself to protecting any and all he could. Giving to humans that earned his trust. In the time he spent in Gensokyo with Sorina and Hanalli, Nahumar had found peace in the darkest part of the Magic Forest. As the now self titled "Youkai of Fear", Nahumar is tasked with managing the influx of fear while consuming the excess produced.

Yet he also met the Priestess that he became fond of...and slowly she did as well.


	2. Chapter 1

Start of a Brand New Day

The morning sun arose over the land of Gensokyo. The birds were singing, the humans rising from their sleep. Alice Margatroid enjoyed her morning like normal with a cup of tea. She looked outside her window to notice a rabbit in purple fur hopping off into the darker part of the forest. It was normal to any who lived in the Forest to see these strange critters early in the morning or in the black of night. She remarked "Looks likes that Fear Youkai is working again."

The purple rabbit hopped through the trees with ease soon meeting up with a few more before they merged into a hoard of rabbits. They continued until they passed a barrier that led them to an open field free of trees with a large shrine in the center. The shrine was covered in moss and stone. A staircase led up to a worn bell supported by the overhanging awning of stone. The rabbits emerged from four areas in large groups with over hundreds of identical creatures. Suddenly, two cats with a darker shade of purple fur dashed through the crowd of rabbits, climbing the stairs at a fast pace to reach the top. The two made it up and called out in unison "Nahumar-Sama, Wake up!".

The two cats changed into their human forms. One a male and one a female. Identical in every way besides their eye colors with the male having green and the female having a dim yellow. Their clothes matched in design and color of black with purple, the female having more of a long skirt and small hat with fingerless gloves as the male had pants and full gloves. The shadows around them enclosed on the feline duo. A strange figure emerged from behind as two arms extended on either side with white gloves, giving them a big hug as they giggled. "Gotcha!" the being laughed as the felines looked behind them. Once he let them go, the two looked up at the being. His body covered by a long white overcoat reaching to his feet and up to his neck. His face was like a normal human with short black hair and purple eyes. The faint sight of a shadow black body underneath his attire can be seen, unable to render the color correctly besides his head.

The man said "Incubo, Sogno, did you two have fun last night?" the two nodding. The male spoke up "Yes, Nahumar-Sama. Sogno and I were running all over Gensokyo. In the end, Sogno was the first to reach your shrine.". The female, named Sogno nodded "It was really fun! We got to see the fireflies, the bamboo forest- at least the outside of it- and went for a swim in the river near the Youkai Mountain!" speaking with such excitement. Nahumar chuckled at the two "That's great to hear because I need to visit someone. Mind watching the shrine for me?" with both of them nodding and speaking in unison "Of course Nahumar-sama.". With a simple wave of his hand, the rabbits scattered back into the forest to grip onto various trees to ward off wandering humans from venturing too far in. Nahumar began walking down the steps till he reached a patch of shadow, melding into it and vanishing from sight.

Meanwhile, at the Hakurei Shrine, Reimu Hakurei was starting her day like any other. She swept the steps, feeling the warm rise of the sun approaching. She looked up, noticing a familiar tengu dashing by as she sighed "It's already that time?". Was she expecting someone today? Marisa? Yukari? Her attention was soon brought to the small patch of shadow from a bush. She stopped sweeping and called out "Okay Nahumar, you are over by the bush.". Nahumar emerged with a defeated look "Dang. My presence never gets by you, Priestess." soon walking up to her casually. Reimu looked at Nahumar with her neutral expression and watched as he sat on the steps. She asked "What brings you here this time?" but Nahumar replied "I wish to hear more about your encounters in the past. Tell me about the 'Underground' please?". Reimu walked up, raised her broom and placed the bristled end on his head while bluntly stating "No." then walked into the shrine to fix herself some simple tea.

In that time, Nahumar started to recline on the steps to take in the day. When he first encountered the Priestess, he was severely beaten in Danmaku, but the times after he had shown to only find the human interesting. The way she manages to have nearly no emotion to show was intriguing to him. Nahumar even hoped one day to receive that special smile from Reimu which is non-existent. As he entered the light trance, he noticed a cup sitting beside him. Reimu sat on the same steps and told him "Go on and drink it.". Inside the cup was a brown like water. It was hot and yet when Nahumar took the time to smell it, his eyes widen with glee "Cocoa!". Without realizing how hot it was, Nahumar took a sip and burnt his mouth on the scalding water. Reimu took one simple sip of her tea, "You could of waited for it to cool..." looking quite unamused by his pain. "Priestess, you could of warned me!" Nahumar said back. Reimu returned with "Do you not know the difference between hot and cold still? Honestly Nahumar...". Reimu could of easily just kicked him out of the shrine, yet unlike the other guests she had he was respectful. Deep down she was chuckling at his pain.

Nahumar figured now was a time to talk. The two were sitting so close...so he asked her "Priestess? Do you have any great fears?". Reimu replied "No.". Nahumar blinked his eyes "Surely you have some kind of fear? What about spiders? Or height? Maybe being alone?" trying to find some kind of exploit to win in his next Danmaku match with her. Nahumar always was the kind to use spellcards based on the various phobias and frightening images with illusions to trick his opponent. Reimu saw through all of it. She replied again "No. I do not fear anything at all." taking a sip of tea. Nahumar then openly said one himself "Well I fear of Loneliness. The empty feeling of having no one left around. No one to know if you are dead or alive. No one to care about you.". Reimu stopped him by putting her hand over his mouth "Hush. I think I heard something rummaging in my kitchen...". Reimu and Nahumar got up and walked into the kitchen to see one of the purple rabbits gnawing at a bag of rice. Tearing a hole and eating the grains. Reimu's blood lust grew as she tossed a Talisman to bind the critter to the floor "Damnit Nahumar I told you to contain your Parasites!" she shouted back at Nahumar. Nahumar walked over to the rabbit as it's disguise wore off to be a strange beetle creature of a purple shell kind. Nahumar sent the critter back to his home through the shadows, but the open bag of rice was an issue. He picked the bag upside down to show the hole "Seems like he wanted some rice." Reimu tossed one of her orbs to his head "No duh detective! Now what am I going to eat!?" she shouted.

Reimu, feeling hot headed decided she had it with guests today. Nahumar walked down the steps of the shrine as he thought to himself where to buy more rice. Just as he was walking down, he noticed a familiar being to him. This one was a woman wearing a kimono in a variety of blue colors and a river pattern. Her hair was an ocean blue color that moved like the waves and beside her was a tortoise. She noticed Nahumar and hastened her pace up to him while calling his name out "Nahumar, fancy seeing you here brother." This girl was Sorina, the self proclaimed 'Youkai of Sorrow'. "Hey Sorina. I was just visiting the Priestess of Hakurei when one of my parasites bit into her food supply." he explained. Sorina thought for a minute and then had the idea "Well if she is thinking it's your fault, which it is, you should go to the Human Village and buy that same food as before.". This was indeed a sound plan for Nahumar "Yeah, that does sound great. Thanks sis." he nearly jogged past Sorina and towards the Village while thanking her for the idea. But Nahumar had no money at all, so how was he going to get the rice?

Reaching the village, Nahumar noticed not only humans but Youkai and beings alike in a sort of relation for peace. Though there were more humans than Youkai, he could see the variety. He thought to himself "So a bag of rice...I wonder if they would accept trading of other items?" as he reached into one of the pockets to pull out only three of the cocoa beans he had stocked at his shrine. He needed money and he needed it fast. He stopped by a granary where they sold the raw materials like flour or wheat on their own. He checked the price of a bag of rice being of a currency he never once attempted to understand. "Fifteen Hundred Yen? What is Yen?" he quietly spoke, keeping the price in mind. He looked around trying to find out what Yen was. His eyes soon caught the hat of an acquaintance of Hanalli. A teacher by day but hakutaku by full moon Keine Kamishirasawa. He tried to get her attention "Excuse me Miss Keine?" she turned around and smiled to Nahumar "Oh it's the Fear Youkai. What brings you to the village?". Nahumar was about to tell her but didn't want to seem like he needed help. Instead he asked "Do you know how one can obtain Fifteen Hundred of this Yen thing?". Keine looked at Nahumar, confused by his question "You need money? For what?". Nahumar replied "I am on a sort of task to find some rice for Hanalli, but I forgot to bring money."

Keine thought for a bit then had an idea. "How about you help me out for the day and I will reward you with a bag of rice?" she asked. Nahumar nodded "Yeah! That's an excellent idea!". He had no idea that Keine was going to use him like a pack mule for the day. Forcing him to carry many objects over his shoulders and under his arms. Nahumar never knew how heavy these items were and he could feel his control over the shell weakening minute by minute...yet he had a job to fulfill. He wanted Reimu to not grow hungry. Even if the parasite was to blame, he put the blame on himself for not controlling it earlier. In his mind, he thought only about that bag of rice at the end of it all. Then as the day was ending, Keine guided Nahumar back to buy his bag of rice and end his day at the village.

Nahumar finally hiked back to the shrine as the sun was setting. The bag of rice slung over his shoulder as he took the steps up. Nahumar finally reached the top and walked up to Reimu's shrine. He placed the bag down, yet his legs gave way. Unable to move them he knelt before the sliding door. He called out "Hakurei Priestess! I'm back.". Reimu took a moment to open the door to ask bluntly "What is it now?". Nahumar picked the bag of rice up to show her. His arms looking like they would break any moment now. He said "Here. This is a new bag of rice for you. I'm sorry my parasite ruined your last bag." giving a heartfelt smile to her. Reimu at that moment didn't know what to think. Was he doing this to get on her good side? Was he doing this because he was just good at heart? Whatever it was, Reimu then noticed Nahumar falling face first on the bag "Nahumar! Are you alright?" she asked. Nahumar didn't sound in pain and told her "J-just a minute. My shell gave way. Stupid...Damnit Yukari, you need to make these things more stable!".

Nahumar's head propped off, causing Reimu to hop away. She watched as from the dark neck hole, Nahumar emerged in his true image. The orb was no longer the size of a baseball but rather a basketball. Or her orbs. His eye blinked and looked at Reimu, not realizing that she never saw his true visage once at all. The two just looked at each other for what seemed like hours. Reimu knelt before Nahumar and poked the side of his body. "Soft..." she remarked as Nahumar lashed out "Don't poke me like some silly toy! This is who I really am!". Reimu still couldn't believe this was the being of fear. She picked him up with both hands "Nahumar? Are you saying that you look like...a black ball?". Nahumar sighed "Yeah...please don't tell anyone." remembering the day Mio saw his visage. Her reaction was far different from Reimu's. Reimu realized then that Nahumar was just doing a good deed for the sake of being good. She placed him down and walked off "Well when you get the chance, just get back in your 'shell' thing and put that bag in the kitchen?" then stopped and looked back to him.

To Reimu, Nahumar's real image was too cute to just exploit like the others. She found him...acceptable. So as a reward, she decided to give Nahumar some hot chocolate but even when she thought of Nahumar, she questioned why he was like this? How close to humans is Nahumar exactly?

"Priestess! I burnt my tendon on the chocolate!" Nahumar cried out like a child. Reimu shook her head to get rid of those questions and looked at Nahumar "I told you to let it cool down!". Nahumar looked up with his little tendon attempting to dip into the brown water of chocolate powder. "I can't resist myself around chocolate...I'm sorry.". Reimu could tell that Nahumar was going to be a handful in the future...


	3. Chapter 2

"...I see, so you finally saw what Nahumar really looks like?" Yukari asked after hearing Reimu's experience yesterday. Yukari had been keeping tabs on Nahumar and the other emotions for a while, but with this information made public to Reimu this was not going to slide well. Reimu placed her tea down "You are thinking that I should keep my mouth shut about his real image. I don't blame you. No one would ever believe something that small can be scary." then looked up at Yukari who was taping her chin with the tip of her fan. She thought for a bit then decided to tell Reimu "As long as he isn't causing you trouble he should be fine. Nahumar's strength is not even a threat. The little ice fairy is an even match in terms of raw power. So don't hold back if you need to restrain him." then when she got up, she pulled an item from her gap. A chocolate bar.

Reimu looked at it and was confused by the design "Is it some kind of chocolate?" she asked. Yukari, whom was already walking away told Reimu "Give that to Nahumar for me. I would do it myself but...I can't stand to look at him." then disappearing once she descended the staircase. Reimu was more confused than ever. She didn't let it bother her as she placed the bar on the table for the moment. Stepping outside, she could feel Marisa's presence coming right at her. A black and white witch hopped off her boom at the last minute to land in front of the priestess with a big grin "Hey ho Reimu! You busy today?" she asked. "No. I am free for now. Just don't eat the chocolate on the table." Reimu said while showing Marisa the chocolate bar on her table. Marisa looked at it in a confused manner "Eh? Why can't I have some?". Reimu replied "Because it's a gift for Nahumar-"

"FROM YOU?! Oh Reimu you are so kind!" Marisa finished her sentence while poking her cheek in a joking manner. Reimu moved Marisa's hand away looking rather annoyed "No Marisa. It's from Yukari. She must of grabbed it from the outside again.". Marisa puffed her cheeks "Oh, if it's from Yukari then you know something is bound to happen..." not taking the name kindly. Yukari has been known to cause some incidents in the past. This could be another one. Reimu decided to get tea for her and Marisa as Marisa sat on the side of the building, swinging her feet lightly. That is when she remembered "Ah that's right. Reimu, I saw Hanalli with Suika earlier! They wanted to ask if you are interested in joining a party underground!" but Reimu was quick with "No thanks.".

Nahumar arrived at the shrine from the steps like normal this time. His eyes noticed Marisa as he felt a smile spread on his face. He hastened his pace and called to her "Hey there Miss Kirisami. Did those mushrooms work well?". Marisa looked up at Nahumar and replied "I appreciate it Nahumar, though half of them were Shiitake Mushrooms. I should really teach you the difference between one with magical properties and one with just good flavor." Hearing how she talked about flavor, Nahumar smiled back "I am glad you enjoyed them at least.". The two talked so casually like friends already. Marisa was always more open to others. Reimu for a minute didn't want to step out. Almost feeling left out of the group...yet she then emerged with the tea and looked at Nahumar with a slanted look "Oh hey Nahumar, Yukari left something for you on the table...".

Nahumar looked past Reimu and noticed the chocolate bar. Marisa watched as Nahumar went over to pick it up. His joyful laughter could only be described as child like. "A crunch bar! Thank you Yukari!" he cried outloud. Marisa chuckled at his attitude but Reimu found it to be quite loud. Nahumar joined with the two girls. He took the bar out of the package and then used two of his tendons to slice it into thirds for consumption. The tendons took one piece each as he offered it to Reimu and Marisa "Want some? I promise it will taste good.". Marisa obviously took the kind offer but Reimu didn't seem too keen on it "No thanks. I am not much for that kind of sweet.". Marisa looked at Reimu "Oh come on now. He is only being kind Reimu. Learn to cut loose!" and with one bite into it, Marisa was already adoring the taste "Oh it's crunchy too! Thank you Nahumar.".

After a short while, Marisa waved to Reimu and Nahumar before taking off on her broom. Reimu looked to Nahumar with a curious look. She wasn't sure if he is this generous to people or putting on an act. Years of knowing Youkai and other creatures in and out, she figured it was honest enough. Nahumar then noticed Reimu's eyes "Something the matter?". Reimu sighed "No. Nothing is wrong. Also, shouldn't you head back by now?" looking a bit annoyed. "Oh right! I'll see you some other time Priestess." Nahumar said as he started to slowly sink into the shadows. With his departure, Reimu could at least relax. She said to herself "A party in the underground huh? Marisa sure knows how to gather information." The idea of at least accompanying Marisa wold prove to be fun.

* * *

The following day, the party began. As it was underground, there were a plethora of Oni and Youkai alike. Marisa and Reimu felt like the odd balls in the bunch. They watched Suika and Yuugi drink in near perfect unison together and just being merry. "Loud..." Reimu commented quietly. Marisa on the other hand was smiling "Aw don't be like that. Enjoy yourself!". She threw her arm over Reimu's shoulder as the stench of beer radiated from her mouth. Reimu pulled off "Close your mouth! I don't need to smell what you drank!". Reimu looked around to see if Nahumar did come at all but knowing him, Yukari probably got to him first. Her eyes caught the sight of a girl as tall as Suika yet bald. Her attire was like that of a shaolin monk, minus the prayer beads. All in a bright gold material. She even had a weird baton on her hip. Her eyes of gold and her smile just as bright. Then the woman noticed Reimu and walked over.

"Hi there Priestess! I see Miss Kirisami convinced you to come down." the girl in gold clothing said. Reimu didn't look too surprised as she said "Hey Hanalli. Do you know where Nahumar is? Marisa invited him here.". Marisa turned and decided to tease her more "So you worried about that-*hic*- That Youkai? Huh? HUUUHH?". Reimu promptly shoved Marisa off her chair and cleared her throat "I ask because he doesn't seem to be here yet.". Hanalli thought for a bit. She extended her staff and balanced on one foot for some odd reason. "Hmm...Now that you mention it, Nahumar was here far earlier than you two but that Komeiji girl in pink wanted to talk to him.". She spoke of Satori. Reimu shrugged "Oh well. Thanks for letting me know..." and she returned to dealing with a drunk friend.

* * *

Meanwhile, Nahumar was at the palace of the earth spirits with Satori. Nahumar looked around and then asked her "So is there any reason you brought me here?". He was confused by this. Satori put her cup of tea down and crossed her legs "I am at a loss as to why I can't read your mind.". The idea of reading minds never came to him as he looked confused "So your ability is to read minds? Well have you tried looking at my chest instead?" offering to help fix a problem as if it was normal. Satori at first didn't want to but accepted the offer. One look at his chest and a flood of voices came out. No two were the same. The cries of agony, pain and fright were flooding her ears and clogging her senses. One look back up and it stopped. Her expression was one of being scared of what she heard but Satori didn't let it get to her yet.

"I see then. Your "Mind" is not where it should be." she played her experience off as Nahumar nodded "Yeah. Am I able to return to the party then Miss Komeiji?". Satori waved him off "Go on and enjoy yourself, Nahumar." and waited for the doors to close behind him. She grabbed her head lightly as she tried to piece together "Avoid eye contact with that one's chest...It's definitely stained with the undying shriek of the enemies he had slain.."

* * *

Back into the city underground, Nahumar spotted Suika and Hanalli sparring off against one another for fun in an open part. The streets filled with unneeded dancing and the atmosphere filled with laughter and music. He eased his way through the crowd, making use of the shadows, and came across a drink Marisa face first on the table with Reimu looking unamused as always. She looked up at Nahumar and said bluntly "She's drunk.". Nahumar shrugged his shoulders "She can be quite a handful for you, huh?" and sat down across from Reimu. Marisa lightly tossed while mumbling about mushrooms again. Reimu had to ask "You know Marisa a bit? I overheard you talking about delivering mushrooms to her." looking at Nahumar and then back at the dozing Marisa. "I knew her a little, much like the puppet master who has taken a liking to my parasites, the teacher of the village and those my sisters have made friends with. Why do you ask?" Nahumar replied with an honest tone. Reimu felt a bit better by the words "Just curious. From the way you talked it sounded like the two of you knew one another for a long time.".

Then Marisa woke up and clung onto Reimu as she slurred out in her drunken haze "You know Reimu? You need to drink a bit more and cut loose." nearly shoving the bottle of sake into her mouth. Reimu coughed hard as she took the bottle out "Damnit Marisa!" but this made Nahumar start chuckling. Reimu placed a Talisman onto his head as it forced him to fall back on his chair and on the ground, paralyzed. Reimu then placed the bottle down and stated "That's why you do not laugh at me. You may be kind and gentle to people but deep down you are still a Youkai in some way or form."

When the time came close to return home, Reimu would of course remove the talisman on his head before going back to her shrine. Nahumar looked over and noticed Marisa was left behind. Since his little area was in the same area, he opted to take Marisa with him instead. By picking her up on his back, he was able to walk out yet not use the shadows for transport. He approached the bridge where he met the infamous Hashihime so to say, but upon passing her Nahumar had this sense of Nostalgia hit him. He turned to look and said out loud...

"Jera?"

The female with green eyes and long ears glared at Nahumar "No Jera here.". Nahumar didn't move on and instead asked "Miss...I'm sorry, what is your name?". The woman replied "...Mizuhashi Parsee.". Nahumar bowed "I am Nahumar. Pardon me for asking but those eyes you have...are they the-"

"Green Eyes of Jealousy? Yes." she finished his sentence for him and returned to looking out at the bridge. Nahumar kept talking to her despite having to drop Marisa off somewhere "Your presence...I feel as if I use to know it. I do not know if your power is the same as my brother but are you able to manipulate jealousy?". This got Parasee's attention. She turned to face Nahumar, now seeing the pitch black like body under the long white coat that he conceals. She thought for a moment and then remembered "You must be that Nahumar then. The Youkai of Fear." and then followed with "I am jealous of your freedom above.". This made Nahumar feel nostalgic once more as if hearing his brother again. He chuckled lightly "That is what Jera would of said as well." making Parsee feel awkward that he wasn't turned off by the sudden burst of her comment. She just looked at the drunk Marisa now drooling on his coat "Just get that black and white witch out of here already...she caused enough trouble before...". Remembering Marisa on his back, Nahumar extended two of his tendons to carry Marisa instead so she wouldn't drool on his coat. He waved goodbye to Parsee while saying "Maybe I will return to the underground again. I wouldn't mind talking to you here and there..." but Parsee said back "I don't want you down here though! I am jealous of your kindness!"

Nahumar replied back "And I am jealous of your eyes!" before walking closer to the exit. Parsee huffed and looked back over the bridge and down at the water. The reflection showed her red cheeks as she said under her breath "For a creature of fear, he is kind...Idiot."

* * *

Once Nahumar brought Marisa to her home, he headed back to the forest enclave with his shrine. There, Incubo and Sogno were waiting for him on the steps. Greeting him with open arms...

Reimu on the other hand returned to her shrine. The emptiness of the front area and interior was the norm for her. She never did like visitors that much. She noticed a small candy bar on the table with a note written in sloppy Japanese that read "Please try it- Nahumar.". Reimu took the bar and examined it. She took a cup of green tea with her out to the front steps and took her seat on the edge. The setting sun looked nice. Reimu unwrapped the candy bar and took a light bite of it. After chewing that piece and sipping her tea, she remarked-

"...It's alright, but still not my kind of sweet."


	4. Chapter 3

The mornings at the shrine are a ritual for Reimu. Wake up, freshen up, change and prepare for whatever comes her way. Some days end with her talking to Marisa, others she is annoyed. Yet on certain days she hangs out with a Youkai named Nahumar. Since the incident of Undying Joy, Nahumar has been interested in Reimu's ability to suppress her emotions well. This would have been more annoying to Reimu but Nahumar had this weird aura about him. He was weak but he had a heart like a kind and gentle human. She wondered if Nahumar was going to use any information he obtained from her to attack or something.

She didn't let it bother her much, and today was a special day. While no one was around or looking, Reimu pulled out a box of Macarons. She saved up her yen to buy a nice box of the sweets. All with varying flavors. Just looking at the assortment was causing her to drool. "Marisa is occupied and so is Yukari. Nahumar has yet to show his face and the day is still young." she narrated to herself with glee. Once a cup of tea was made, she sat out on the steps with the pallet of colored sweets right next to her. As she picked up a pink one with white filling, she sensed a presence. In her mind, she wanted to kill whomever it was. Then from the shrine entrance, Nahumar came and with him were two black cats with different eye colors. One yellow and the other a light green. He waved to her, "Afternoon Priestess. I hope you don't mind me bringing my Shinigamis to see the shrine?" smiling with glee. Reimu looked at him as her rage was building deep behind that smile. "No. I do not mind at all. Do not let your cats eat my Macarons." she gritted her teeth at the last sentence to emphasize how important these were to her.

Nahumar took her word as did the Shinigami like cats who shifted into their human counterparts. Twins of course. The two introduced themselves. "I am Incubo. I am able to manipulate the sight of man and cause hallucinations they would otherwise not think of." the male with yellow eyes said to her. The female grinned to Reimu as she said, "I am Sogno. I can manipulate the visage of various items and disguise them in an illusion." Reimu sighed. They were not going to leave that easily. "Well as long as you do not cause trouble here, I can grant you some access to the shrine for today. You can't go inside though." Reimu made itclear as the two surprisingly sat down and listened to her. Eying her and generally curious about Reimu. Then Sogno spoke up. "Say, what do you think of Nahumar-Sama?" she asked while laying on her stomach. "...I think he needs to learn not to bother me so much." Remiu replied while taking a light sip. Sogno rolled over onto her back as she watched her brother Incubo chase birds in cat form. Then Sogno told her, "Nahumar-Sama is just curious about you I think. I can see why...You don't smile at all." as if mocking Reimu's lack of showing emotion. This caused Reimu's glare to beam on Sogno. "I can show emotions too. Right now I am feeling annoyed because I want to eat some of my-"

When Reimu went to grab a Macaron, she noticed that the chocolate ones were missing. "Oh no..." Sogno quietly said while hiding behind the donation box. Reimu looked over to see Nahumar playing with Incubo. She walked up to him and shouted out loud "You ate my Chocolate Macrons!" causing Nahumar to try and clean his ear out. "Easy Priestess, I never even knew you had chocolate ones." he tried defending himself. Reimu just glared at him before slapping a Talisman on his forehead to freeze him in place. She huffed in anger. "Regardless, I was saving those Macrons for last." Reimu turned to look at the plate, seeing that indeed only the chocolate ones were missing. Nahumar on the other hand couldn't move the charm off his body and was left to stand like a statue. Incubo spoke in his defense, "But priestess...Nahumar-sama was playing with me the entire time. I never saw him eating anything." as Sogno nodded. "He is innocent after all Reimu." Yukari said, lazily slumped out of her gap with the chocolate macron in hand. A smile on her lips as she placed the uneaten one in her hand. Giving her a little lesson in exchange. "Just because Nahumar can only taste chocolate does not mean he would go out of his way to downright steal it. Honestly, sometimes you get a bit defensive over the simplest of treats." she said to Reimu. Reimu removed the Talisman from Nahumar's head before tossing a small orb at Yukari to shove her back in the gap.

When their time was up, Nahumar and his two shinigamis bid Reimu a goodbye. Reimu only looked on and waited for them to leave before returning to the silence that is her shrine. The sound of the wind and leaves rustling. The occasional sight of someone flying past. This is what she always wanted, right? The silence when no one spoke. The emptiness of no one around. This is what it was like to be alone and Reimu liked it...at least she thought she did. Yukari on the other hand just watched Reimu quietly from her gap. Seeing if she would do anything different. Reimu decided to sweep her walkway to keep herself active. To and fro to broom swept and yet no one was coming around. Marisa was tied up at the mansion so there were no real visitors to come by.

"Looks like you could use someone to talk to." Yukari's voice resonated in Reimu's ears as Yukari was now sitting on the steps behind her. Reimu turned to face Yukari with a cold stare. "The last person I want to talk to is you, Yukari." Reimu said. Yukari however turned her head to look over her shoulder with a sly smile, "And you would rather talk to Nahumar? I am quite hurt. You know it's bad to make friends with a thing like that." she said. Reimu turned away to reply back, "Do not get me wrong. Nahumar is tolerable but he is still an annoyance here and there." sweeping an area that was clean. Yukari then dropped the ball.

"I saw him replace the thing he broke. Not many creatures would give to humans."

Reimu stopped sweeping. She looked back as Yukari had anger building in her eyes. "Nahumar, like his sisters, are nothing more than Social Parasites for humans. They only accept the title of Youkai to cover this. They feed on the emotions that not just humans emit, but also Youkai. Yet in time of need...they would rather protect humans for the sake of their emotions coming in a wider variety." she stood up and gently took the broom from Remiu's hand. "We wouldn't want Nahumar to feed on your emotions now would we? Just keep those feelings inside and he should have no reason to come by anymore." Yukari whispered in her ear. Reimu looked unphased by the odd whisper. She extend her hand to Yukari and asked, "Give it back." to which Yukari shook her head. "Sorry my dear priestess, but I need to borrow this broom for a moment." Yukari took out from her gap some strange container filled with a white powder. She sprinkled some on the shrine and started to spread it around. It exposed the footprints of what seemed like insect like limbs skittering across at night. "You see those, right? Those belong to Nahumar's 'Children'. Those infernal rabbits- or should I say...bugs?" she wanted Reimu to know before it was too late. "Those little rabbits feed on fear much like Nahumar, yet they also can sneak a taste when you are at your most vulnerable..." Yukari cleaned up the powder but also made it fall on the stone path below to expose more prints...and what looked like the imprint of a ball rolling at the shrine. "Late last night, Nahumar came by your shrine. You gave him access to visit, right? Well that night he came in. He sent his little rabbits to see if you had a barrier up and surprise, there was. He couldn't get into your room but imagine if he managed to find a way."

Yukari soon left the shrine through a gap as Reimu was left to ponder the situation. Nahumar was either stalking her or possibly feeding on her. The latter was impossible since he has no idea what she fears at all...but the first part may be the one she was concerned with. Just then, Nahumar walked up the steps and into view. He waved his hand with a big smile. "Hey Priestess. I bought some-" but he was halted by the external barrier to prevent his entry. "What? Priestess, you must of raised the strong barrier. Mind lowering it please?" he asked in a kind manner. He even raised a box of treats to give her. Reimu approached him. "You were trying to spy on me last night!" shouting at Nahumar and turning her back to him. He blinked for a moment "Huh? What do-" then he remembered. "Oh that! Last night I was taking a walk through the shadows and decided to give you a donation as a gift for helping me." his story seemed flawed. "Then explain your rabbit things mucking about as well?" once more, he was confused. "My parasites? I did not order any of them to approach your shrine but...mind letting me see your donation box?" this prompted Reimu to toss a charm at his head, forcing him to tumble down the steps. "You are not allowed at my shrine for an entire week until you realize what you did is considered creepy and perverted!" her words hurt Nahumar but not as much as confused her. Why was she talking to Nahumar like he was a human? He was a Parasite that thrived off emotions and nothing more...but disregarding what he truly looked like, he was more or less like a human.

Nahumar managed to pull the talisman off his head, seeing it had the words 'Idiot' on it and tossed it aside. He sat there and thought why she was angry exactly? "I didn't send any parasites around here at all...and what does she mean creeping on her?" he was sure he wasn't trying to spy on her or- "Pervert...Isn't that a word to describe someone who would do whatever it takes to look at non-clothed humans? Don't know why I would be...but this must be an incident!" yet Nahumar was silenced as one of her orbs slammed down on his head. "NO PLANNING TO SNEAK IN AFTER HOURS EITHER!" shutting down his investigation plan. He took his leave for the time and headed towards the forest. Eyeing Marisa flying past, he assumed she was off to visit Reimu as well. Nahumar continued on until he caught his attention of Alice's home. She was outside, tending to some flowers on the side of the house with her puppets doing other tasks with her command. He figured if he was going to get to the bottom of this odd incident, he should start with Alice. "Pardon me Alice, but I am in need of some help." he approached cautiously. Alice turned to face him, her blue eyes beaming into his purple odd eyes. "I am glad you came to me for advice. Is it something to do with Reimu?" she asked as she stopped her puppets commands except for one. Nahumar scratched the back of his neck, "Yeah. She believes I was spying on her last night, but I only stopped by to donate some money for the shrine." looking ashamed of the accusation.

Alice walked him inside to sit down at her table while she made herself some tea. "Reimu, from what I know, is not going to hold this as a grudge. More as if it's another reason to keep you away. You have seen how she acts around others, right? That's just her. Let it settle and it will go back to normal. Besides, how much did you donate to her? Five Yen?" she gently took a sip. "Actually, it was this strange gold coin. Oval in shape and had some writing on it." what Nahumar described caused Alice to choke on her tea for a bit. "Y-you just gave her a Koban Gold Coin?! Those are worth twenty thousand yen at the least!" she shouted, almost wishing to steal that treasure before Marisa found out. Nahumar was even more confused. "It was just a gold coin. How can something like that be worth a lot?" he had no idea about economics at all. Alice then picked Nahumar up by the jacket to tell him some information. "Imagine if Reimu was to discover you were the one who put that item in her box? She would probably marry you at that point." Her eyes starting to seem scary. Nahumar eased himself away and out the door. "I'll just be off..."

He was back to square one. Nahumar had no help in who was at the shrine at night besides himself. He took a walk over to the shrine's steps at the base and thought for a moment. That is when Yukari appeared before him. Holding the coin out in front of him. Taunting Nahumar. "Seems like you dropped this in her donation box." her snake like voice called through as Nahumar tried snatching it back with a tendon. She kept it out of his reach. "You were the one who was framing me, weren't you?" Nahumar asked. Yukari stepped out of her gap with the coin still in her hand, replying "So what if I was? You are getting too close to Reimu at this point. I don't want you hanging around her anymore." and walking up to Nahumar as she didn't fear him. She knew exactly how strong he was compared to her, and she could kill him now if given the chance. She slipped the Koban Coin into his hands but grabbed his shoulder. "The priestess should never build any relationship to Humans nor Youkai. She is to be in the middle. To help with keeping Gensokyo balanced and prevent incidents like what your 'Mother' caused." Yukari's voice was drastically different than before. Her eyes aiming at him to kill. Nahumar examined the coin and said his reason for hanging around Reimu lately.

"I only wanted to be her friend...because I do not want to be lonely."

Yukari at first raised her umbrella to his forehead, then she lowered it slowly. "Why the priestess? The witches in the forest are closer." she asked Nahumar, now curious as well. She could see in his eyes that he really meant no harm. That underneath his shell, he was a defenseless black orb. Yukari slowly walked around him as if inspecting his person from every angle. Nahumar tried to keep his eye on Yukari, "She intrigues me a lot. Her emotions are hard to taste and understand. She is strong and fun to play a round of Danmaku with. Her patterns are even blissful in defeat. Yet the priestess has the kindness inside her... It just hardly comes up. I wish to-" yet Yukari then put a hand on his shoulder, gripping deep into it as if trying to break the human shell. Her eyes filled with a lust for blood. "Know your place, Parasite...You are in Gensokyo. In this realm, Humans and Youkai-Especially your type, are not allowed to be this close to one another. Some exceptions do come around, but in this case-" her grip intensified and broke the left arm and shoulder. Nahumar stood there in shock. Yukari backed up and finished "I will let you off with a warning. Only because I wish to see how this 'Experiment' will go down." she walked away from Nahumar, leaving him there for the moment to slowly regenerate the shell's arm. All while smirking to herself.

"Can a lowlife being of fear be friends with the Priestess of Hakurei? This is a show I wouldn't mind watching."

Reimu felt an odd chill as she laid in her bed. "Something tells me Yukari is up to something..." she rubbed her eyes and decided to worry about it tomorrow.


	5. Chapter 4

Reimu felt a faint presence as her eyes started to slowly open up. The hazy vision cleared up as she noticed some kind of black orb in front of her eyes. The orb's single eye opened to be purple. It was Nahumar. "Morning Priestess." he happily declared. Reimu's rage was building ever so silently. She sat up, rubbed her eyes and then looked back once more. Yep. Nahumar was sitting right there without his shell on. His true self. "You need anything?" he asked her. Reimu promptly picked Nahumar up with her hands to look at his eye. She then prepared to toss him just as Yukari grabbed Nahumar before she could throw. "Now now Reimu. This is only for a little while. Seeing how you and Nahumar get along oh so well, I figured it would be a fun experiment with the two of you living under the same roof." Yukari gently placed Nahumar on the table far from Reimu as she decided to change in a separate room away from his eye. "What about his shrine?" she asked. Yukari replied "I made Ran watch over it from time to time. His parasites will be enough to keep it hidden though." which followed with the next question Reimu had. "Then what do you gain from this?"

Yukari told her "I will get some enjoyment from watching you two." confirming it was out of boredom. Nahumar waited for the time until he noticed Reimu walking around the corner in her usual attire. She fixed the bow on her head just as she walked up to Nahumar. "Where is your shell?" she asked. "Over there." Nahumar pointed with one of his tendons from his body to the sleeping body he wore. "It gets tiring to use that thing a lot so I have to exit it every night until the morning." Nahumar explained as Reimu walked over to it, inspecting it closely. "As lifeless as it looks, I would mistake it for a human myself." Reimu added on as she started to drag his body into the closet.

"So Nahumar is going to be living here for a short while?" Marisa asked Reimu as they sat on the porch. The sun halfway to to top as the day was still starting. "Yes Marisa. Yukari wanted some amusement between us and dumped him on me." Reimu sighed as she then noticed Nahumar in his orb like form rolling around inside. This reminded her that Nahumar was not to be seen in this image by anyone else. He stopped to see Reimu. "Hello Prie-" Reimu stopped Nahumar from speaking as she grabbed him and ran to the closet. Opening the hole and attempting to stuff Nahumar into the neck hole. "Get in there!" She screamed, all while Nahumar was frightened. "Slow it down Reimu! I-I can't fit it if you just rush me!" he responded just as he finally entered his shell and the head was secured. Marisa on the other hand caught a sight she would never believe. The way Reimu was sitting over Nahumar, and how he was resting against the wall made it look like Reimu wanted him. "Oh? Are you two this involved already?" Marisa chuckled with a smirk as Reimu turned around to expose her rosy cheeks and eyes filled with anger. "Y-you-" Reimu then looked down to see how she was sitting over Nahumar and promptly shoved herself off. "It's not like that at all Marisa!" Reimu loudly shouted while Marisa just chuckled. "Oh please, I was only kidding. But you two seem to be having fun."

Marisa walked over to help Nahumar up on his feet. "Thanks Marisa." he said. For a moment, Marisa felt his cold and lifeless hand. Despite it being the same as a human in shape and color, something about it scared her...yet she met Nahumar many times and held his wrists. She froze up. "Are you alright, Marisa?" Nahumar asked. Marisa snapped out of it and retracted her hand, blushing now like Reimu was earlier and keeping her face away from his sight. "I am." Marisa took her walk outside. Reimu looked to Nahumar with disgust as he didn't understand what happened. Marisa on the other hand sat on the steps and looked to the sky. She took her hat off, letting the sun's rays hit her face. "His hand was cold...like he was dead. Yet he seems so full of life. Nahumar is the Youkai of Fear, but what does he really look like?" she remembered how many Youkai hide their true image a lot. Especially ones like Ran. Her curiosity was getting to her now.

Later, a little oni with an elaborate purple and white attire. Chains hanging from her wrist and one leg with ornaments. Hanging from her hands was a purple gourd. She called out to Marisa on the steps "Yo Marisa. Is Reimu here?" she asked with a glee. Marisa smiled to her with some trouble in her eyes "Hey Suika. Yeah, Reimu is here but she would rather chat with Nahumar." she used her thumb to point over her shoulder back into the shrine. Suika took her seat next to Marisa, taking a swig of her gourd. "Nahumar is here as well, huh? That makes this task easier." she said, taking a letter out from her possession. Marisa looked at it curiously just as Reimu and Nahumar approached them. "Before you say anything, No Suika...I am not going to let you drink-Hm?" Reimu noticed the letter in her hands. Suika looked back and noticed the two. "Oh hey there Reimu. Nah I wanted to stop by to relax. However, now that Nahumar is here I can give him this." she handed the letter to Nahumar. He started to read it as the group watched him curiously. "Read it to us, Nahumar!" Marisa cried out. Nahumar took a moment to clear his throat and repeated the letter to the group.

Dear Nahumar-  
I Hate  
I am Jealous  
I don't  
I  
I Envy you  
\- Mizuhashi Parsee  
P.S: If it's alright with you, I don't mind if you visit the underground more often. As long as you come without that black and white witch.

"At least she could remember my name..." Marisa huffed. Nahumar was confused about it. "Seems like you must of done something to Parsee for her to write a letter to someone like you." Suika grinned as if implying they were going to fall in love. Nahumar yet still couldn't understand it. "So...she wants to see me again? Well it would be nice to see how much she reminds me of Jera." he smiled as Marisa and Suika groaned in disappointment. Reimu took the letter and read over it herself. Noticing the way that Parsee was writing it made it like a love letter. Why did she care anyways? The creature was a black mass of fear on the inside. Reimu cared not for what his interest is.

The day continued on like usual for Reimu, Marisa and Suika. Nahumar on the other hand was relaxing by laying along the floor of the shrine as the others took their seat on the steps. Despite Nahumar's presence, the shrine was pretty relaxed say for the occasional comment from Marisa or Suika. It felt like nothing changed at all but one extra body was with them. That is when Marisa had the bright idea "Nahumar! Let's have a fun round of Danmaku to pass the time!" grabbing her broom as she noticed Nahumar sitting up with a smile. "Marisa. Quit treating it like it's some casual game. Danmaku is not to be used like some kind of toy." She reminded them about the use of Spell Cards but Marisa chuckled. "Are you scared that Nahumar might beat you one day?" she grinned under her hat. "No." Reimu said bluntly. Nahumar agreed to play a fun variant of their spellcards for the two on the ground to watch.

The 'game' began as Nahumar started off with one of his signature cards. "Fear Sign [Arachnophobian Web]!" he called out as his pattern was created. Eight lines of bullets shot out in all directions as one bullet started to create a sort of spiral trail to mimic a spider's web. Nahumar was in the center. The web spun slowly in either direction and at times he fired five rapid sprays of bullets towards Marisa. The web itself was easy to navigate for someone of her skill and the bullet sprays were making it more fun. Suika watched Nahumar with some intrigue in her. "Nahumar's Spellcards are very interesting patterns, right Reimu?" she nudged Reimu. "To a point. Then you realize that most of the bullets are fake and meant to mess with your head." she pointed up as Marisa was finished with one of her spell cards and he retaliated with a spell card that trapped Marisa in a grid, much like a scarlet sister but with some bullets being off colored. "The black bullets are the real ones, the purple ones are fake. He induces the fear of being trapped in this card with false bullets and make the target think she is trapped with no way to dodge his onslaught." Reimu continued on as Marisa demonstrated, passing through the purple colored bullets in a rhythm to the wave of dagger like bullets being tossed towards her. With two of them always being purple. Suika smiled wide "Ah...That makes sense. His patterns play with your sense of fear, so making fake bullets might trick someone into staying still long enough or run into the real ones?" taking a swig of her gourd. Her eyes set on their duel.

The bullets continued to fly towards each other, card after card was used. Marisa knew she would win with ease as she drew her most powerful card at the right time. "I win Nahumar." Marisa used her Master Spark spell card to easily win the battle. Nahumar started to fall down to the ground but slowed himself near the end to not break the ground beneath him. He stood up and smiled, yet after the fight was over she saw Nahumar's arm a little dislocated. "I'll be back out soon. Let me just pop this back in place." he chuckled. Leaving the group to fix his body inside the shrine. Suika took her chance to leave after that little duel. Reimu noticed the arm. "Marisa. You did a fine job, but mind being a tad easier on Nahumar?" as if asking to go easy. She rubbed the back of her neck. "Sorry Reimu. I figured he got better so I didn't hold back...I'll apologize for the arm."

Marisa headed inside to where Nahumar was to see if he was alright. "Nahumar-" Marisa stood there in the doorway as she finally noticed Nahumar's body. Without the long jacket on, his body was pitch black like the shadows of the forest. His hands were of a human pigment to about the wrist and from the neck up he looked human. His backside had four odd tentacle looking tendons sprouting out as they looked to 'fix' his dislocated shoulder.  
Marisa was frightened. Almost as if she was meeting death in the face. She froze there, wanting to scream. Nahumar turned to notice Marisa's growing fear and wanted to ease her before Reimu could punish him. "D-don't be afraid Marisa. Just keep calm..." Nahumar attempted to siphon the fear she was emitting. Walking up to her and with his arms out, he wrapped her gently in his embrace. "There...just breath easily..." he said, causing Marisa to slowly relax into his arms. Two tendons from his back embedded into Marisa's spine with care and gently siphoned the excess fear she was producing, calming her in the process. He eased Marisa down against the wall in her sleep like state once he retracted them. "So she saw it?" Reimu came out from around the corner just as Nahumar turned back. "Priestess! It's not-" he didn't finish. Reimu handed him his long coat and yet had deep pink cheeks. "Just put some clothes on before you scare someone else..." she said in a demanding way. Nahumar slowly smiled with a light chuckle under his breath as he put his long coat back on. "Right. Marisa should wake up in a few minutes, but by then she will forget what she saw in that moment. I'm sorry this happened..." Nahumar turned back to Reimu who stood there, silent. It took her a bit to finally say...

"You did nothing wrong."

Reimu walked over to Marisa, moving some hair from her eyes. "You never did anything wrong at all. You can't help how you look. No need to be so hard on yourself." she said. Nahumar slowly walked away from Reimu but told her "...Mio said the same thing."

Night soon fell upon them as their day was full of fun. She figured it was time to take a bath but then remembered Nahumar was here. She looked to him "Say Nahumar? Would you mind doing something for me?" finally taking advantage of the creature before her. Nahumar was curious, "What would it be?" Reimu grabbed his wrist and guided him around the shrine to a part of it where some wood in a clay fashioned furnace like structure was. "I would appreciate it if you would watch the fire that will be going on here." Reimu took some flint and tinder, striking them over dried grass and starting the fire up for him. "If it gets a little low in heat, toss another one of those in the fire." she pointed to the pile of firewood beside it. "I shall...but may I ask why?" Nahumar asked. Reimu was going to ignore his question, but she figured he might not know what it is like being a human. After all, his life so far was restricted to idle chat among those he saw and never really experienced things like this. "Well most living creatures get dirty now and then. So they like to remove dirt and such off their bodies. This fire is to heat up water for a thing we call a bath..." she looked at Nahumar closely, wondering if she lost him in the concept. Nahumar just thought about it. "...Mind if I experience this too?" and he was met with another of her orbs tossed at his face.

While relaxing in the steadily heated bath water, Reimu had to contemplate on Nahumar living around here for a short time. From what she saw today, he was just trying to be helpful like always. He was curious and willing to learn. Completely opposite of his job. Was he misunderstood all this time? She thought back to that name he tossed out. "...Who is Mio?" she asked out loud while taking a handful of water to wash her face. Nahumar's voice came form the vented window above her "Mio...she was a caretaker that became my closest friend long ago. Yet her death was swift. Every time she came into my old alter in the other world, she brought gifts and treats. When everyone was afraid to approach my room in fear of triggering my anger, Mio was different..." from the way he told it, Nahumar was always misjudged. Reimu wondered why she was talking to this thing. Why did she care about Nahumar's past? Then it hit her...

"...She was different because she was alone too?"

Reimu asked the question that sent Nahumar into silence. Only the faint sound of the bellow he used to heat the flames could be heard under the cracking fire. Reimu thought back to what Yukari told her about Nahumar and his other family mates being parasites. She figured that having him around wouldn't hurt that much. He was inviting with his honest words and calm smile, yet she still felt uneasy with him living here...

"Are you alone, Priestess?" Nahumar asked.

Reimu replied. "...No. I was just guessing." 

After Reimu changed into a more white night robe, she noticed the futon already prepared for her. Nahumar, no longer in his shell had chosen his location to sleep on a table far from Reimu but still in sight. "I'll sit here, Priestess. I don't need to sleep and I can keep watch." he said. Reimu however walked over to pick him up and placed him on a second pillow beside the futon. "If you sit on that, you are going to catch a terrible cold. At least sleep on something soft." Reimu felt like her words came off a bit too...soft, but she meant it in a way that Nahumar was being stupid. The second Nahumar felt the pillow, he started to nuzzle into it like some kind of cat. "If you insist, Priestess." the presence of his smile was there, very warm despite his current form. As Reimu began to slip away into her slumber, she faintly heard Nahumar say- 

"...Good Night, Priestess of Hakurei."


End file.
